


More Than You Will Ever Know

by sisterwinchester (takemehome)



Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Dancing, Dirty Dancing AU, F/F, Gen, M/M, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-18
Updated: 2013-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-29 18:55:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/690323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/takemehome/pseuds/sisterwinchester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Duros parents decide to drag him along to their annual camping vacation. And Duro doesn't like it.<br/>He ogles the dance teachers and one in particular sparks his interest.</p><p> //  Ducky Dancing AU  //</p>
            </blockquote>





	More Than You Will Ever Know

Duro was leaning against a tree, drawing circles in the dirt with his feet. It was past 10 pm, but the air was still warm and humid. He kicked a pebble. This vacation sucked. He loved going to camp with his family when he was little, but now it was just annoying.

He thought about his brother Agron, and how he was probably out with Spartacus and Donar right now. Drinking, laughing, singing. Of course Duro could have accompanied them, but he preferred to wander around at night, waiting for the air to cool down and his mind to come to a rest. All of his friends were at home or on their own vacations, and he was here, bored out of his mind. He almost didn't notice the man walking towards him.

"What are you looking at, dude?" Gannicus stepped up to him and raised an eyebrow. Duro was startled. He stared at the man who was awkwardly balancing three giant watermelons in his arms.

Duro pulled his hands out of his pockets, stammering something about "...taking a walk...too hot to sleep...". Gannicus sudden blaring laughter made Duros eyes go wide with confusion. He had seen him before, he was one of the dance teachers that was frequently requested for private sessions by middle aged ladies. He had a way with them. Swaying them, all smiles and seduction, making them giggle like little school girls with his exceptionally cocky way of flirting. Compared to some of the others in the camp, his technique was far from perfect, but it was not like he was teaching these ladies how to actually dance. Duros cheeks flushed red when he realized how thoroughly he had been watching and analyzing the different dancers. There was nothing to do for him all day, so he spent a lot of time just watching people.

"Are you drunk or what is it with you and the stammering, man?" Gannicus snorted and almost lost his grip on one of the melons. Duro leaped forward in reflex and grabbed hold of it. He took the melon and awkwardly looked up at the snickering dancer. Ok, he had to admit to himself, he also did watch them because they were all insanely good looking.

"You wanna be drunk though?" Gannicus nodded towards the cabin at the top of the hill, "'cause we have a little party going on up there, and if you help me carry these fucking melons, I might smuggle you in." He wriggled his eyebrows. "That's in case you're legal of course. You're legal, aren't you?". He winked at Duro, who stumbled backwards a lttle, with the melon grasped tightly in his arms.

"I'm 23!". Duros stern look would have looked more earnest if this one strand of curly hair wouldn't keep falling over his eye. Gannicus rolled his eyes at him, knowing damn well that Duro was lying. The whole conversation had him completely embarrassed and mortified, but Duro had been dying to find out what happens in the cabin for the last two weeks. Every night he walked past it and heard howling laughter and deep bass thumping. There was a piece of cardboard that was nailed to the rail of the stairs. It said "STAFF ONLY", written hastily with thick red sharpie. It certainly didn't seem to be regular staff meetings. The lights never went out until the early morning.

Duro tried really hard to think of something cool to say, but all he managed to blurt out was "I'm Duro. So...melons, yeah?" He instantly regretted even opening his mouth and quietly cursed at himself.

Gannicus turned and started walking up the stairs to the cabin, lifting the humongous water melons on his shoulders. "Fucking melons it is, Curly. As you surely know, I'm Gannicus, the most handsome dancer in this camp. Follow me for a good time!" His laughter echoed into the woods surrounding the cabin, as he bounced up the stairs. Duro followed with quick steps but couldn't help shaking his head. What the hell was happening?

 

When they arrived at the doors to the cabin, Gannicus swung around and bellowed "Here we are Curly!" with wide eyes. He threw himself into the doors backwards, and stumbled into the room, still manically laughing. Duro almost dropped his melon taking in the sight. His eyes wandered around the room, unable to focus, just skimming past all the dancing people. He wasn't entirely sure the things these people were doing could be called dancing though. Writhing bodies, legs everywhere, couples in tight embrace, every single limb constantly in motion. He took a small step forward and was instantly hit by a wall of thick warm air. Gannicus motioned for him to follow. They moved through the room filled with people, heading towards the bar. A sweet, tangy smell wafted through the place. Duros lips were slightly parted, a look of pure confusion on his face.

Almost all of the people working in the camp were there, but they all looked completely different than in the daytime. Duro spotted the two women who did the kiddy hikes during the day. He almost didn't recognize them. Moving their bodies against each other and throwing their heads back with closed eyes and wide grins. Still within the other womans embrace, the black haired woman leaned further back, until her long flowing hair touched the ground, both of their hips still grinding together. Duro only knew these two women in khaki shorts and hiking boots, skipping through the woods near the camping site, with a trail of screeching children behind them. He couldn't stop staring at them.

Gannicus poked his side with an elbow, "Mira and Saxa...I know, right? I know buddy, trust me, I know." He slammed the melons on the counter and greeted the bartender.

Duro just stared at him. What exactly did he know? He absently put his melon on the counter too, still holding to it with one hand, when the bartender slapped his shoulder.

"Dude, I'm talking to you! What are you drinking?" The somewhat stocky man with the raspy voice stared at Duro, chewing gum and tapping his fingers expectantly.

"Careful Crixus, I'm not even sure he's legal!" Gannicus roared and leaned on the counter.

"The fuck you're always bringing the babies up in here Gannicus, seriously. I'm so gonna be fucking fired because of you one day!".

The two men continued bickering with each other, and Duro turned around again to gaze at the dancing people. He had always loved dancing, but he had always felt a bit selfconcious about it. When he went out with friends at home, he mostly resorted to some sort of ironic goofy dancing after a short while. Doing the robot and an intendedly bad imitation of some sort of breakdance moves. The thought of someone watching him completely lose himself in it was extremely frightening. He really wasn't bad at it, but sometimes he thought that others might not understand how intense it actually felt for him. What it did to him. 

The beer was cold and Duro held the bottle against his cheek. The heat surrounding him made his shirt cling to his skin. Some of the guys in the room weren't even wearing shirts. This really was no regular staff meeting. A new song came on, and somebody turned up the volume. It was already pretty loud before, but now it felt like the bass of the music was palpable in the air. Duro put down his beer and scanned the room. There was some yelling and loud laughing, the mood had changed, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly how.

The doors to the cabin swung open again. There was applause, and a man dressed in high-waisted dress pants and a crisp white shirt slowly stepped into the room. Duro swallowed hard and pressed his lips together. It was Auctus. Undoubtedly the best and experienced dance teacher of the camp. Who unfortunately absolutely knew about that.

With a soft smirk and a nod in the direction of the people, he opened the top buttons of his shirt, and started walking towards the middle of the room. The people were still dancing, though a little less enthusiastic by now, but they were all smiling, and Auctus generously grinned back at all of them. He greeted Crixus and Gannicus through the room and turned slightly into the other direction. Duro was actually a bit glad that no one seemed to notice that he was not a staff member or actually supposed to be here. Although he maybe would have wished for at least a bit of an acknowledgement from Auctus. Just a look maybe.

He was about to turn around and order some more beer, when his eyes wandered down the man’s body and he stopped. His lips fell open as he marveled at the curve of Auctus butt in those dangerously tight pants. Those damn pants. They already accentuated the absolutely ridiculous waist-shoulder-ratio of Auctus body enough, but Duro hadn't expected the backside of this. And he couldn't take his eyes off of it.

Auctus had stopped, and only now started slowly turning his head. He looked over his shoulder and at Duro, whose head snapped upwards. Their eyes met. Duro wasn't sure if he had seen him blatantly staring at his ass. This really wasn't supposed to be the first impression Auctus had of him. The man still stood slightly turned away from Duro, and - agonizingly slow - looked him up and down. Duro was just frozen, and no matter how hard he tried not to, for the tiniest moment his eyes darted back down the dancers body to his butt. He scrunched his nose at his own lack of control and looked up again into the mans eyes. Auctus smirked. That smirk again. That smirk of knowing exactly what effect he had on people. And then he winked at him. Winked. Duro gripped the counter. This supposedly adventurous trip into the night life of camp staff members was slowly turning into a list of "How many extremely embarrassing first impressions can Duro make in one night.". He shook his head in disbelief over his own behaviour. Auctus on the other hand seemed rather busy with dancing dramatically towards Saxa now, and not at all concerned with Duro.

Saxa howled and threw her arms in the air. Mira was laughing and patted her back. They exchanged a quick kiss before Saxa started running towards Auctus and jumped. With one swift motion, he picked her up and she slung one leg around his waist. They were grinding their hips together and Saxa shook her long blond hair, gripping Auctus arms tightly. He swung her around and it looked like she was as light as a feather. She was twirling around him, grinning wildly, her long blond hair flying everywhere. Saxas dancing was very energetic, as if she was playfully charging Auctus. He seemed unimpressed by her attacks and moved her around without effort, like silk gliding over his body. His hands slid down her back, down her legs and up again, dragging them slowly over her butt and coming to a rest on her waist. They smiled at each other, and Auctus lifted her up until she was resting her knees on his shoulders, his head between her thighs. She was writhing on top of him, moving her hips and running her hands through her hair.

"They look good together." Duro said and expectantly looked at Gannicus.

"Oh that's not it, Curly, trust me, that's not it. Those two aren’t even together." 

"But they had something going on at some point?" Duro asked, a bit uncomfortable by his own nosiness.

"Nope. Never. Saxa brings out the animal in pretty much anyone, but she sure as hell would never - ever - get with a man. Ever." Duro could hear the poorly disguised disappointment in Gannicus voice.

"Just wait. Saxa's not tall enough for Auctus anyway. Just wait for Barca."

At this point, Duro was squinting in confusion at the triumphantly grinning man. The name seemed familiar.

As the last beats of the song were slowly fading, Saxa backed away from Auctus, doing a little appreciative bow and returning to Mira’s arms. Everyone was applauding their stunning performance. Saxa basked in the attention, pressing a demanding kiss on Mira’s lips and laughing with the people around them.

Auctus turned around and extended his arm into a seemingly random direction. It was only when he motioned for someone to come to him, that Duro looked to the side of the room and took notice of the tall dark skinned man leaning against the wall. The mans mouth curled up into a smile, and with few swift steps, he was in the middle of the room, grabbing hold of Auctus arm. Both of their smiles vanished. They started moving around each other. A small circle of empty space had formed around them, with the two men towering over all the other people.

Their eyes were closed most of the time. Roaming hands and slow moves, foreheads touching and fingertips holding onto familiar skin. Everyone dancing seemed to be immersed in their own world, but Auctus and Barca didn't even seem to be here anymore. They were dissappearing into some place that was only theirs, and it was mesmerizing to watch. Not once did they lose their gracefulness. Every touch was tender and careful, yet determined and with purpose.

Gannicus poked Duro with his elbow and grinned at him.

Duro wouldn't take his eyes off of Auctus and Barca, but he muttered into Gannicus direction "Ok, I get it. Get it now.".

Crixus leaned on the counter and smiled gently. "It's a beautiful thing, isn't it." It wasn't really a question. "Tragically beautiful." he added, mumbling into his beer.

"But those two are together. They are. Must be. Are they?" Duro asked with a nervous look.

Crixus let out a muffled laugh. "Life isn't easy like that, pup. Never was. You'll learn that someday." He clinked bottles with Gannicus and both nodded smugly at each other.

Precocious asses. They both couldn't be that much older than him. Duro rolled his eyes at them, but they just gave him toothy grins.

He tried to wipe away some of the wet sheen on his forehead with the hem of his sleeveless shirt. When he opened his eyes again, Auctus was standing a few feet away in front of him. He was smiling and lifted his arm. Duro, with his belly exposed as he was still holding up his shirt, stared at his hand. It was the same motion that Auctus had used earlier to make Barca dance with him.

"Come." Auctus said, never breaking eye contact with Duro.

"I'm not...I'm not really a...I don't really dance, I..." Duro stammered helplessly. Gannicus snorted and shoved him gently with one hand.

"Everyone dances. Come now." Auctus smirked again - that smirk - but it seemed less self-satisfied now, rather than understanding and inviting . Duro lifted his arm and Auctus gently took his hand and pulled him towards Barca. Before he could grasp the situation, he found himself between the two significantly taller men, Barcas breath lingering warm on his neck, Auctus hands reassuring on his arms. It was a slow song, and they both swayed their hips. Duro felt the sweat on his temples, his body stiff and muscles tense. Almost simultaneously, Auctus slid his leg inbetween Duros and Barca put his hands on the sides of Duros hips. His hands were hanging down his sides, Duro just didn't know where to put them or what to do with any of his limbs. He didn't have to. Barca had a firm grip on Duros hips and gently started to move him, right into Auctus body, who took hold of his arms and put them on his waist. It was irritating and felt unnatural at first, but slowly Duro eased into the movement and the touches, letting them guide him. Auctus slid his hand over Duros arm, up to his neck, and cupped the side of his face.

"You need to let go." he whispered into his ear. Duro leaned into the touch and his eyes fell shut. He was now pressed tightly between them, and his fingers twitched on Auctus’s sides. They were all radiating body heat, Duro slightly opening his eyes to watch beads of sweat running down Auctus neck and his upper body. He was so close to them, their bodies damp, Barcas chin on one side of his forehead, Auctus nose close to his ear on the other side. He could hear Auctus steady breathing and it calmed him down a little. Pressing his hand into the small of Auctus back, he tried to get even closer. Slowly, all resistance faded and he just moved inbetween them, with them, all three of them touching everywhere. He let out a gasp, his hand holding onto Auctus arm, who was still cupping his face and keeping it in place between him and Barca, and the last bit of reluctant tension seemed to leave Duros body with it.

He could feel Barcas mouth curl up into a smile against his temple.

"There you go." Barcas voice was a low rumble and he moved one hand away from Duros hips to touch Auctus. He had to lean down quite a bit to hold Duro like he did, and Barca straightened himself, with Duro chasing the lost touch and leaning back against him immediately. Duro didn't know if they danced for one song or more, it all just became a stream of eternity, completely disconnected from the reality outside of just these bodies.

They were moving in one constant motion now, their bodies flowing together, back and forth. Duro felt completely surrounded by heat, his eyes were closed and his hands were roaming and wandering absent-mindedly. Auctus' and Barcas hips slowly started to move more demandingly, and Duro pressed himself into both of their bodies. He felt like he was in the ocean, waves crashing against him and tugging and pushing at him with an all-encompassing force. Smell and touch made his mind whirl and feel lightheaded. He looked at Auctus through heavy-lidded eyes and wanted to taste. Taste him, taste salt and sweat. Auctus, Barca and him were in a tight embrace, their movements shorter and more urgent now, Duro's becoming a bit more erratic. He could feel both men tightening their grip on his hips, and started to move against it, pressing and longing for more touch, leaning into the waves, trying to feel more.

Just when he thought he could completely lose himself in it and let go, something changed. Both mens movements seemed to get slower until they were barely moving at all. Barcas hands slid up his back, coming to rest on this shoulder, where he rubbed small circles with his thumbs into Duros neck. Auctus slowly moved his upper body away from Duro, still holding his hip with one hand, the other one gently stroking the side of his face. Duro looked at him, having lost his rhythm and just standing there. Auctus hands ran through Duros dark curls and he grabbed a fistful on the back of his head tightly, but gentle. He leaned forward and Duro responded immediately, trying to get closer. Auctus held him in place.

"What's your name?" Auctus was so close to Duros ear, his hot breath made him shiver.

"Duro. It's Duro." Duro answered. Barca behind him felt like a statue by now, none of them was moving and Duro felt an uncomfortable tension rise up in his chest.

"Duro." Auctus pulled Duros head back and stared into his eyes. A little too long, a little too deep.

"Listen, Duro. This isn't about sex. And it isn't about you. And it never will be."

Everything around Duro seemed to stop, the music dying down, his breath coming to a halt. The words from Auctus mouth felt like a stab and Duro just stared at him. His face seemed distant, his eyes empty and Duro was almost in shock.

Without a word, Auctus let go of him and without looking at him, he turned around and walked towards the door of the cabin. Duro had no idea what just had happened. He looked up at Barca, who was still holding onto his shoulders. Barcas eyes weren't empty like Auctus', but rather filled with sadness. He was still smiling though, putting one arm over Duros chest from behind, pulling him close for one last time.

"Life isn't easy like that." Barca whispered and let go of Duro. He walked away with his head down, following Auctus out of the cabin. Barca stopped at the door and looked back at Duro, mouthing "I'm sorry.".

Duro still stood in the middle of the dancefloor, pitiful eyes lingering on him, people mumbling and muttering under their breath. It felt like someone had taken something from him. His damp skin felt cold.

He suddenly felt like an intruder. Everyone was staring at him, everyone seemed to know what he had done wrong. Duro himself had no idea, but he already felt his skin itching with the loss of touch and at the same time with the anger from being snubbed like that. 

When Mira took his hand, he was startled. She squeezed it lightly and looked at him with her sweet face and her soft expression.

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it. Whatever Auctus said to you, he didn't mean it. He's an asshole sometimes. Ok, most of the time, but he doesn't mean it personal." She genuinely seemed convinced by what she said.

Duro interrupted her and blurted: "Well I agree with you about him being an asshole.". Mira looked at him, but didn't say anything.

Duros head felt like it was about to explode and he ran towards the door. He turned around and looked at the bar. Crixus let out a long sigh and just shrugged his shoulders at him. Gannicus was busy chugging his beer.

No wonder they don't usually take strangers up in here for their "staff meetings". Duro bit down hard on his lip and stomped out of the cabin. He was so angry by now, he clenched his fists and kicked the rail of the stairs.

Then he saw them. They were standing on the small path leading back to the bungalows for the guests and the rest of the camp. Barcas hand rested on Auctus neck and they seemed to be arguing. There was no other way back to the camp than the path through the woods. Duro had to go past them, if he wanted to or not. He gritted his teeth, determined not to shoot them one single glance. With his head held up high, he tried to march past them, dramatically avoiding walking too close.

Auctus wasn't having it. With one quick step, he grabbed Duros arm.

"Duro! Stop. Listen to me real quick."

Duro was fuming.

"Why the fuck should I ever listen to you. It isn't about me anyway. Isn't it?!" he bellowed. He didn't even mean to be that loud, but no one could hear them around here anyway, and the fact that Auctus, who didn't even know him, was dismissing him so easily, made his skin crawl with rage. He did know nothing about Duro, nothing, and yet he decided to just mess with his mind like that.

"What the fuck do you even mean by that? And why the fuck are you even telling me that? What the fuck is wrong with you!" Duro slapped away Auctus hand and turned to walk away.

Auctus voice echoed through the night: "When I said it wasn't about you, I meant that it isn't your fault. And it will never be. Because you’re going to stay away from me."

Duro stopped. The words were prickling like needles on his skin. And all over sudden the cold night air washed over him, the darkness taking him in. He felt lonely.

He actually had never felt more lonely than in this moment.

**Author's Note:**

> The SS Ducky crew from tumblr got me back into writing. They're enablers, and they know it. And I love them for it.
> 
> Also, I'm still trying to get the hang of AO3, so if you have any tips for me (tagging, formatting, etc.), please let me know!
> 
> Special thanks to Alex (gaygreekgladiator [ama] ) for taking the time to read over this and explaining the magic of the possessive apostrophe to me.


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